He also noted that job vacancies, which reached a record high of 833,000, were “alarmingly high” and pointed to further evidence of skills shortages.

“While the number of people in work stands close to historic highs, firms continue to report that attempting to recruit staff with the right skills is an increasingly uphill struggle, which is stifling their ability to grow and boost productivity.”

“It is vital that more is done to support those businesses looking to recruit and train staff, including delivering an open and flexible immigration system to help firms attract and retain the people they need to compete on the global stage.”

Howard Archer, chief economic adviser to the EY ITEM Club, also warned that the drop in the UK’s jobless figures may actually be negative for the national economy.

“Although unemployment dropped 55,000 (keeping the jobless rate at 4%), this was almost entirely accounted for by a shift of people into inactivity.”

The slowing rate of employment growth may separately be cause for concern, with the Bank of England to pause on further interest rate hikes in the near term.

Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said: “Signs that employment growth is slowing should mean that the MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) does not feel compelled to dampen the recent upturn in wage growth by raising interest rates again soon.”

He said wage growth data was also linked to a recent pay rise for nearly 1.3 NHS workers , which pushed up public sector pay.

While private sector wages also grew, he said the underlying trend “still looks fairly flat”.

“Wage growth in the private sector likely will struggle to pick up further, given that the job market still has some slack and employees remain less willing than usual to move jobs.

“As a result, the MPC should be able to stick to its plans for only gradual increases in bank rate over the coming years.”

In the third and final part of our series, Michael Alexander speaks to politicians about how they handled the devastating closure of Michelin in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, and asks whether there’s anything Dundee – now facing a similar plant closure in 2020 – can learn.

In the second of a special three-part series, Michael Alexander visits the former Michelin site in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, and speaks to local traders about the impact the closure there is having on high street businesses.

In the first of a special three-part series following the announcement that the Dundee Michelin plant faces closure in 2020, Michael Alexander visited Ballymena in Northern Ireland to find out how the community there is coping with the recent closure of their Michelin factory which led to the loss of 840 highly skilled jobs.

Back in March Mary-Jane Duncan became the first ambassador for The Courier Menu Food and Drink Awards. Here, she tells Caroline Lindsay what the past few months have brought her and why everyone should consider entering the Menu Awards 2019.